They say a picture paints a thousand words. Well, here's one which paints a thousand fans - or several hundred, at least!

The giant work, which is 9m high and 4m wide, has been unveiled in the Trinity Road reception.

Painted by renowned artist Stephen Farthing, it depicts Villa Park on matchday and was inspired by "Going to the Match", the famous Lowry picture of Bolton supporters on their way to the old Burnden Park ground.

Entitled simply "Villa Park", the picture took around 12 months to complete and was painted in eight sections at Farthing's London studio.

Even the artist did not see the full picture until it was erected.

"The work involved around 20 visits to Villa Park, often on matchdays," he says. "Although I watched Fulham as a lad, I've now got a soft spot for Villa and I think Martin Laursen is a great player.

"The picture is not painted from a position I have ever stood in. It's an imagined position where I'm up in a helicopter somewhere beyond the Holte pub, looking across the stadium towards the Villa Store.

"It's basically Villa supporters heading towards the stadium, and you can look inside and see a vast expanse of grass and some empty seats."

Stephen, whose works have been exhibited all over the world, was also commissioned to paint a "tailgating" party - an event where Cleveland Browns supporters gather on car parks before NFL matches to grill food and enjoy a drink.